Blessing or curse
by GoldenAppleOfEris
Summary: Arthur gets cursed, again. Merlin is sassy as usual. Arthur is not pleased that merlin isn't taking the situation seriously, even when he explains that the curse will prevent him from reaching being romantic with anyone other Emrys, his supposed soul mate.


"Merlin! Merlin!" Arthur's hair is tangled in a fiery halo around his head. He must have been quite agitated to let it reach such a state, I think. I watch him drag his hand through it for what must be the nth time.

"What, Arthur? I'm standing right here!" I groan.

"Yes, but this is rather important, so I thought it best I had your undivided attention." He says with such righteous importance that I can't help but snort at him.

"Lord knows you always do, Arthur. Your resemblance to an unnervingly well spoken man-baby has a way of constantly demanding it of me." I quip amicably.

"Mock me all you want, but I have had many woman say that I am wonderfully cute in a manly and dignified way that only a true male such as I could achieve." He retorts. He moves to sit on the edge of his bed, and starts unlacing his boots. I eye them distasteful.

"First of all, I know any claims you make at complimentary woman are complete lies, because the closest you've come to bedding a dame in the past year was the time crazy lady Heather mistook this for her room. Secondly, perhaps when this fictional woman called you cute, she also referring to the equally fictional girth of your penis." I grin in satisfaction at the colouration in his cheeks, and marvel at the fact that I was the one to bring it forth.

"How dare you! You know how… how well endowed I am. I'm naked around you all the time- for bathing and such. " He was right of course, a fact I would sooner remove my own manhood than admit to him.

"The fact that I have yet to notice it speaks for itself, doesn't it?" I can't help but respond, and delight at the soft pink on his cheeks bleeding into deep red.

"No it most certainly does not, and neither should you, when you use your speech to abuse your prince." He sighs listlessly, like reprimanding me just doesn't have the same thrill it once did.

"If you think this to be abuse, you really have lived a sheltered life. Back in the village, claims of well endowment would need to be substantiated. With visual evidence and accurate measurement, usually." I lie through my teeth.

"Well I would happily to, you know, demonstrate were the whole thing not so blatantly barbaric and below my station." His shoes are off now, and his fingers tap anxiously against the sheets. I know he has to fight to keep this restlessness down all day. The prince of Camelot can hardly be seen fidgeting and squirming on his golden throne. He has an image to maintain.

"By the way your talking I'd say your station is the biggest thing about you."

"Stop, okay!?" he snaps, "Enough, I don't need to prove myself to some peasant, and I've got something I need to talk about any way."

"Okay then, let's hear it." I smile at him fondly. His eyes meet mine and his lips tilt into a smile that makes me feel sea sick.

"I, um oh damn this is harder than I thought…" he stammer, and once again rakes his calloused hands through the spun gold that most people refer to as hair.

"God I'm not sure if your choice of words is appropriate after our last conversation. Though I could see why, you look horribly wound up…"

"Shut up Merlin and just listen. Yesterday on my way back from patrol I was enchanted. By a sorcerer, evil obviously. " For some reason he still cant seem to meet my gaze. I raise my eyebrows at him. Ever since becoming his friend, I've invested a huge chunk of magic in him. It's absence stoped hindering me after a week, and now I have the advantage of knowing Arthur has a built in magic shield. One that will protect him from nearly all evil magic, and alert me to the rest. Maybe this is just one of those times Arthur thinks he's enchanted, but he's actually emotionally constipated.

"You sure you weren't just pissing them off? I'm not evil, but I've felt some pretty homicidal urges due to over exposure of- well- you." I say reflexively, still mulling over the possibilities.

"You are being particularly rude today Merlin. You didn't even ask if I'm okay." Arthur whines.

"Yes but I can very clearly hear and see that you are, or you'd be very lively for a dying man. " I gesture towards him, and try not get distracted by the fact that he takes that as a cue to yank his shirt off. And stretch himself across the bed like a feline.

"Merlin, she cursed me. She said that her Master Emrys deserves to be happy, and that I shall only find… satisfaction… when he is the partner." Damn, I think, not just his emotions then.

"More than that, she said that she had 'loosened the chains around my innate magic' and in the heights of pleasure, it shall 'reveal itself', what ever the fuck that means." Arthur looks deeply disturbed by the concept, and grabs one of his silken rich boy pillows to hug close to his chest.

"Well I hardly see how this is an issue then." I say without really thinking.

"How can you think that, of course it's an issue! Some goddam curse has forced me into permanent celibacy, barring 'her Lord Emrys the eternal and all powerful'. How could this not be a problem?" he demands, his face pouting like a hungry puppy dog during Christmas lunch.

I take my time responding.

"In all the time I've known you, you've never shown interest in anyone. Not even once."

"That's just because I've had my eye on someone, okay? It would hardly be fair to lead ladies on, when my heart belongs to someone else." He janks the pillow from his chest to his face, as though hoping it might inexplicably grow the urge to suffocate him.

"And since tonight is all about admitting things, merlin, there's something I have to tell you."

My heart speeds up. I don't let myself hope for what I honestly wish to hear.

"I know you have magic," he says, just like that. I swear he says his own name more dramatically than he did that announcement.

"How? " I gasp, feeling like my soul has come detached from my body. Unlike normal people this could be a real possibility, so I take a second to anchor myself before gasping out the next question, "When? "

Arthurs eyes melt like butter when they finally meet mine. I realize I'm crying but don't bother swiping the tears away when he's obviously seen them.

"A while now. Morgana wrote a letter and told me after she turned dark. At first I was so mad at you, so angry and hateful. It didn't take much more than a look into your kind, unassuming eyes to realize that was exactly what she wanted. I would be weak without you Merlin, in virtually every way. I couldn't even forgive you because it didn't take me long to see you hadn't done anything wrong."

My body is trembling, and tears pour down my face so hard I can't see.

"Oh come here you big baby," he says and pulls me forcefully towards him. He holds me while I cry, so completely warm and safe in his arms that it just makes me cry harder.

He waits patiently until I have calmed down before continuing.

"Maybe I should have been more gentle with that," he says bashfully, "I got over it so long ago that I forgot this wouldn't be easy on you either."

"I'm just happy you don't hate me," I admit earnestly, "But why tell me now of all times?"

"Originally I wanted to leave you to come out of your own accord," he explains, absently tugging on the hem of my shirt. I try not to think about the flexing muscles I can feel against my skin from where his arm wraps around my shoulder.

"I had to tell you because I need to ask you… do you know who Emrys is? And where I can find him?"

My heart starts pounding and my vision swims. Arthur can probably feel my body tensing against him. There are so many reasons to lie to Arthur, to tell him I don't know. I look up into his blue eyes, filled with loyalty and concern, and my excuses fade like shadows on the fist morning of summer.

My voice is raspy and desperate as I tell him; "It's me."

I wait for the horror, the questions or even a newly invoked batch of betrayal. Instead he takes a long moment to blink and absorb.

"I guess that simplifies things then," he declares, before capturing my lips with his.


End file.
